This man is about to launch himself in his homemade rocket to prove the Earth is flat

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This man is about to launch himself in his homemade rocket to prove the Earth is flat

Post by Tribble »

I was going to put this in the Fantasy section, but I figured he was talking about "Science" so it belongs here. :P

This man is about to launch himself in his homemade rocket to prove the Earth is flat


Seeking to prove that a conspiracy of astronauts fabricated the shape of the Earth, a California man intends to launch himself 1,800 feet high on Saturday in a rocket he built from scrap metal.
Assuming the 500-mph, mile-long flight through the Mojave Desert does not kill him, Mike Hughes told the Associated Press, his journey into the atmosflat will mark the first phase of his ambitious flat-Earth space program.
Hughes’s ultimate goal is a subsequent launch that puts him miles above the Earth, where the 61-year-old limousine driver hopes to photograph proof of the disc we all live on.
“It’ll shut the door on this ball earth,” Hughes said in a fundraising interview with a flat-Earth group for Saturday’s flight. Theories discussed during the interview included NASA being controlled by round-Earth Freemasons and Elon Musk making fake rockets from blimps.
Hughes promised the flat-Earth community that he would expose the conspiracy with his steam-powered rocket, which will launch from a heavily modified mobile home — though he acknowledged that he still had much to learn about rocket science.

“This whole tech thing,” he said in the June interview. “I’m really behind the eight ball.”
[Kyrie Irving believes the Earth is flat. It is not.]
That said, Hughes isn’t a totally unproven engineer. He set a Guinness World Record in 2002 for a limousine jump, according to Ars Technica, and has been building rockets for years, albeit with mixed results.
“Okay, Waldo. 3 . . . 2 . . . 1!” someone yells in a test fire video from 2012.
There’s a brief hiss of boiling water, then . . . nothing. So Hughes walks up to the engine and pokes it with a stick, at which point a thick cloud of steam belches out toward the camera.
He built his first manned rocket in 2014, the Associated Press reported, and managed to fly a quarter-mile over Winkelman, Ariz.
As seen in a YouTube video, the flight ended with Hughes being dragged, moaning from the remains of the rocket. The injuries he suffered put him in a walker for two weeks, he said.

And the 2014 flight was only a quarter of the distance of Saturday’s mile-long attempt.
And it was based on round-Earth technology.

Hughes only recently converted to flat-Eartherism, after struggling for months to raise funds for his follow-up flight over the Mojave.
It was originally scheduled for early 2016 in a Kickstarter campaign — “From Garage to Outer Space!” — that mentioned nothing about Illuminati astronauts, and was themed after a NASCAR event.
“We want to do this and basically thumb our noses at all these billionaires trying to do this,” Hughes said, standing in his Apple Valley, Calif., living room, which he had plastered with drawings of his rockets.
“They have not put a man in space yet,” Hughes said. “There are 20 different space agencies here in America, and I’m the last person that’s put a man in a rocket and launched it.”
He compared himself to Evel Knievel, as he promised to launch himself from a California racetrack — the first step on his steam-powered leap toward space.
The Kickstarter raised $310 of its $150,000 goal.
[The explorers who really disproved flat-Earth theories]
Hughes made other pitches, including a plan to fly over Texas in a “SkyLimo.” But he complained to Ars Technica last year about the difficulty of funding his dreams on a chauffeur’s meager salary.

A year later, he called into a flat-Earth community Web show to announce that he had become a recent convert.
“We were kind of looking for new sponsors for this. And I’m a believer in the flat Earth,” Hughes said. “I researched it for several months.”
The host sounded impressed. Hughes had actually flown in a rocket, he noted, whereas astronauts were merely paid actors performing in front of a CGI globe.
“John Glenn and Neil Armstrong are Freemasons,” Hughes agreed. “Once you understand that, you understand the roots of the deception.”
The host talked of “Elon Musk’s fake reality,” and Hughes talked of “anti-Christ, Illuminati stuff.” After half an hour of this, the host told his 300-some listeners to back Hughes’s exploration of space.
While there is no one hypothesis for what the flat Earth is supposed to look like, many believers envision a flat disc ringed by sea ice, which naturally holds the oceans in.
What’s beyond the sea ice, if anything, remains to be discovered.
“We need an individual who’s not compromised by the government,” the host told Hughes. “And you could be that man.”

A flat-Earth GoFundMe subsequently raised nearly $8,000 for Hughes.
By November, the AP reported, his $20,000 rocket had a fancy coat of Rust-Oleum paint and “RESEARCH FLAT EARTH” inscribed on the side.
While his flat-Earth friends helped him finally get the thing built, the AP reported, Hughes will be making adjustments right up to Saturday’s launch

He won’t be able to test the rocket before he climbs inside and attempts to steam himself at 500 mph across a mile of desert air. And even if it’s a success, he's promised his backers an even riskier launch within the next year, into the space above the disc.
“It’s scary as hell,” Hughes told the AP. “But none of us are getting out of this world alive.”
This is true. Yet some will try to live to see its edges.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/spe ... 7e5afda2ba


I wonder how his... steam rocket? will turn out. While it'll certainly be entertaining to watch, I have my doubts that he'll end up in space and prove the Earth is flat. Or that he'll even survive. Oh well, time to bring out the popcorn! :lol:
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Re: This man is about to launch himself in his homemade rocket to prove the Earth is flat

Post by Marko Dash »

couldn't he just send up a camera on a balloon and accomplish the same thing for much cheaper? you don't have to reach space to see the curvature of the earth.
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Re: This man is about to launch himself in his homemade rocket to prove the Earth is flat

Post by Crossroads Inc. »

2 out of 3 chances says it explodes and kills him.\
BEST out come is it fails to launch period and he calls it a day.

The whole thing is obviously a stunt for press and money. If he was serious about science in any way, there are several other ways you could attempt to study the curvature of the earth.
You know... If it wasn't for the fact that it would be a massive slap in the face to the entire history of Astronomy... I would love to sponsor this guy to go up on a ride to the ISS just to see what he says.,
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Re: This man is about to launch himself in his homemade rocket to prove the Earth is flat

Post by Broomstick »

Proof yet again that the American authorities will let you kill yourself via aviation as long as no one else is put at risk...
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Re: This man is about to launch himself in his homemade rocket to prove the Earth is flat

Post by LaCroix »

66% chance he blows up at ignition/launch.
50% chance he hurts/kills himself during ascent due to high g loads with inappropriate safety procedures.
95% chance he pancakes himself into the ground.

0% chance of proving earth is flat.

A minute's thought suggests that the very idea of this is stupid. A more detailed examination raises the possibility that it might be an answer to the question "how could the Germans win the war after the US gets involved?" - Captain Seafort, in a thread proposing a 1942 'D-Day' in Quiberon Bay

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Re: This man is about to launch himself in his homemade rocket to prove the Earth is flat

Post by Zaune »

Calling this man "Jebediah Kerman IRL" would be an insult to the Kerbals. Even without the Flat Earth tinfoil-hattery, what kind of reckless idiot do you have to be to think a manned suborbital flight in an oversized bottle-rocket powered by high-pressure steam is a good idea? Especially when by his own admission he can't do a few unmanned test flights like a sane person because he could only afford to build the one?
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Re: This man is about to launch himself in his homemade rocket to prove the Earth is flat

Post by LaCroix »

At least the paperwork will be easy. The coroner can already pre-fill all data but the time of death...

Even the reason is easy. Suicide.
A minute's thought suggests that the very idea of this is stupid. A more detailed examination raises the possibility that it might be an answer to the question "how could the Germans win the war after the US gets involved?" - Captain Seafort, in a thread proposing a 1942 'D-Day' in Quiberon Bay

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Re: This man is about to launch himself in his homemade rocket to prove the Earth is flat

Post by Isolder74 »

You have to wonder just what he hopes to prove. If he does manage to get his rocket high enough that you should be able to see the curvature of the Earth he will still end up dismissing everything he sees and/or claim tinkering by the evil men at NASA for making him see what he is just sure he shouldn't. Sadly if his rig blows up eviscerating himself his fellow flat earthers will make him into a martyr.
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Re: This man is about to launch himself in his homemade rocket to prove the Earth is flat

Post by SpottedKitty »

LaCroix wrote: 2017-11-22 06:48pm At least the paperwork will be easy. The coroner can already pre-fill all data but the time of death...
For extra style points, he could quote some Kipling. From The Secret Of The Machines:
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We are not built to comprehend a lie,
We can neither love nor pity nor forgive.
If you make a slip in handling us you die!
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Re: This man is about to launch himself in his homemade rocket to prove the Earth is flat

Post by Wicked Pilot »

Seeking to prove that a conspiracy of astronauts fabricated the shape of the Earth, a California man intends to launch himself 1,800 feet high on Saturday in a rocket he built from scrap metal.
Not going to see much at 1800 feet.
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Re: This man is about to launch himself in his homemade rocket to prove the Earth is flat

Post by Ralin »

Marko Dash wrote: 2017-11-21 11:33pm couldn't he just send up a camera on a balloon and accomplish the same thing for much cheaper? you don't have to reach space to see the curvature of the earth.
There's always the chance that the Round Earth Illuminati could hack the camera and other electronic systems to alter any pictures taken.
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Re: This man is about to launch himself in his homemade rocket to prove the Earth is flat

Post by Korto »

Isolder74 wrote: 2017-11-22 07:32pm ... Sadly if his rig blows up eviscerating himself his fellow flat earthers will make him into a martyr.
The Big Government propaganda says he died from an "accident", but we know the truth!
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Re: This man is about to launch himself in his homemade rocket to prove the Earth is flat

Post by Lagmonster »

Step 1: Find crowd of conspiracy nuts.
Step 2: Rile up conspiracy nuts, tell them to give you money so you can prove their beliefs are true.
Step 3: Claim some element of the conspiracy caused you to fail.
Step 4: Cocaine.
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Re: This man is about to launch himself in his homemade rocket to prove the Earth is flat

Post by Zaune »

Lagmonster wrote: 2017-11-23 09:44amStep 1: Find crowd of conspiracy nuts.
Step 2: Rile up conspiracy nuts, tell them to give you money so you can prove their beliefs are true.
Step 3: Claim some element of the conspiracy caused you to fail.
Step 4: Cocaine.
Nice work if you can get it.
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Re: This man is about to launch himself in his homemade rocket to prove the Earth is flat

Post by Raw Shark »

This is the kind of classic-flavor Mouse on the Moon shit that they just don't make anymore. As long as he's got Magic Carpet Ride playing (and cocaine) when he engages the warp drive, I'll allow it.

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Re: This man is about to launch himself in his homemade rocket to prove the Earth is flat

Post by K. A. Pital »

Sorry but I can't resist.
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Re: This man is about to launch himself in his homemade rocket to prove the Earth is flat

Post by The Romulan Republic »

I honestly think this is a case for involuntary commitment on the grounds that this man is a danger to himself and others.
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Re: This man is about to launch himself in his homemade rocket to prove the Earth is flat

Post by Simon_Jester »

There were some good science fiction stories (for certain values of 'good') back in the golden age of SF about brilliant but misunderstood scientists With Something To Prove building their own rocketships to go up and prove it.

This... is more like how a story like that would be likely to play out in real life, sadly.
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Re: This man is about to launch himself in his homemade rocket to prove the Earth is flat

Post by The Romulan Republic »

I mean, "build your own rocket ship" just sounds so awesome. But not really practical, or safe, unless you have a lot of talent and money.

The flat-Earth part is just sad.
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Re: This man is about to launch himself in his homemade rocket to prove the Earth is flat

Post by Zaune »

Simon_Jester wrote: 2017-11-24 04:08pmThere were some good science fiction stories (for certain values of 'good') back in the golden age of SF about brilliant but misunderstood scientists With Something To Prove building their own rocketships to go up and prove it.

This... is more like how a story like that would be likely to play out in real life, sadly.
And this guy probably doesn't have access to Handwavium, either.
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Re: This man is about to launch himself in his homemade rocket to prove the Earth is flat

Post by Eternal_Freedom »

I wonder if this will give someone the chance to say that this fellow "Built this in a cave...with a box of scraps!"
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Re: This man is about to launch himself in his homemade rocket to prove the Earth is flat

Post by SolarpunkFan »

K. A. Pital wrote: 2017-11-24 01:25pm Sorry but I can't resist.
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Does his vision involve Dollar signs, money and naked women on beaches? :P
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Re: This man is about to launch himself in his homemade rocket to prove the Earth is flat

Post by The Romulan Republic »

Actually, its possible that he doesn't actually buy the Flat-Earther theories, and is just using that as an angle to con people. From the article:

"Hughes only recently converted to flat-Eartherism, after struggling for months to raise funds for his follow-up flight over the Mojave."
"I know its easy to be defeatist here because nothing has seemingly reigned Trump in so far. But I will say this: every asshole succeeds until finally, they don't. Again, 18 months before he resigned, Nixon had a sky-high approval rating of 67%. Harvey Weinstein was winning Oscars until one day, he definitely wasn't."-John Oliver

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Re: This man is about to launch himself in his homemade rocket to prove the Earth is flat

Post by Sky Captain »

Not going to see curvature of Earth from mere 1800 feet. Wonder why bother with rocket at all. Get some 50 or more of weather balloons, some rope to tie them together, hydrogen gas cilinders to fill the balloons and there is good chance to get to 8 km or more if extra breathing oxygen is carried. By popping few balloons with handgun he could even manage relatively controlled descent and landing.
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Re: This man is about to launch himself in his homemade rocket to prove the Earth is flat

Post by Korto »

And even something that fucking stupid would still be incredibly fucking safer.
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